Doug Christie emphasized execution, lineup decisions, and second-unit production after the Sacramento Kings dropped a 115-107 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night.
Sacramento erased a 13-point deficit in the third quarter and entered the fourth with an 87-83 lead, but Memphis closed on a decisive 14-2 run behind Zach Edey’s dominant finish.
The Grizzlies’ center delivered a career-high 32 points on 16-of-20 shooting, adding 17 rebounds and six offensive boards to control the interior.
Christie credited the group that sparked Sacramento’s comeback, noting, “I would instead of looking at it that way, I’d look at more credit to those guys who came in and really played, you know, hard as heck and just got after it, got us back in the ball game.”
He explained that returning to that effective lineup became difficult once Memphis shifted its matchups, saying the “game dictates how it goes” and that he plans to re-examine the film.
DeMar DeRozan again anchored the Kings, scoring 23 points with three made threes while stabilizing second-unit possessions.
Christie highlighted the value of using DeRozan with younger reserves, saying that “a lot of those younger guys, they can depend on him,” and that the group’s defensive energy created opportunities during the comeback.
However, Sacramento scored only one field goal in the final four minutes.
Christie pointed to late-game execution and missed defensive stops as key problems, noting that better organization could have improved their shot quality.
“We were going to play out of a couple different sets,” he said, but the Kings shifted into isolations and “just didn’t knock them down.”
Memphis capitalized behind Edey’s interior strength, supported by Jaylen Wells’ 15 points and Cam Spencer’s 16 off the bench.
Sacramento struggled to contain the size of Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr., an issue Christie said young center Maxime Raynaud is “learning right before our very eyes.”
Raynaud finished with 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out, and Christie confirmed that his minutes could rise while Domantas Sabonis remains sidelined.
The Kings also missed nine free throws and finished 8-of-27 from deep, issues Christie connected to fundamentals and game reps.
He stressed the need for improvement despite the hectic schedule, saying the team must “get in the gym” and continue to work through late-game scenarios.
De’Aaron Fox remains out, placing added burden on DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk, who combined for 63 points but could not offset Memphis’ decisive fourth-quarter surge.
Sacramento fell to 0-3 on its current homestand, while Memphis secured its fourth straight road victory despite continuing to play without Ja Morant.
The Kings will attempt to regroup when they host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
